Lyon's Malick Fofana and Alexandre Lacazette punish weak Rangers | Europa League

Celtic and Rangers never want to have much in common. This week that is certainly the case. 48 hours after Celtic discovered that mistakes that go unpunished in Scotland were being exploited at elite level, Rangers suffered a similar fate.

The result at Ibrox may not have matched Borussia Dortmund's 7-1 win over the Scottish champions, but the theme was the same. Lyon outclassed their hosts to the point where Rangers won 4-1.

Lyon's pace, power and counter-attacking threat left Rangers desperately gasping for air. The Rangers, who like to describe themselves as Europa League specialists, had no answer to such an efficient away performance.

At times Lyon was a joy to watch; They certainly could be. The general disquiet surrounding Philippe Clement and his underwhelming Rangers team is unlikely to dissipate any time soon. On this evidence, the Belgian manager is fighting to win hearts and minds. He urgently needs a first-class result.

“4-1 is a really tough result,” claimed Clement, somehow with a straight face. “We have to take advantage of our chances and defend one-on-one better than we did today. I don’t think we can create better chances, but we have to take advantage of them.”

Clement used his pre-match media duties to dismiss any notion that Lyon presented favorable opponents. Pierre Sage's team have only taken seven points from their first half-dozen games in Ligue 1 despite spending heavily over the summer. In short, Clement would have nothing against Lyon's alleged problems. The Rangers are already second by a wide margin in a city where finishing second is no consolation.

With Sir Alex Ferguson in the crowd, the game began under special circumstances. Rangers had briefly been the better team – James Tavernier missed a chance and Vaclav Cerny an even better one – before Malick Fofana gave the visitors the lead. John Souttar's block against Rayan Cherki fell right at Fofana's feet. Cherki and Fofana would terrorize the Rangers for the rest of the game.

Shortly before that opening strike, the Rangers' ultra element had even audibly angered their fellow fans with a display of pyrotechnics and fireworks, as well as a banner in support of some of their players who were presumably up to no good. The Rangers are one of many clubs that have indulged in this tedious, perpetually boring element for too long. There is a risk of another UEFA fine.

On the field, the Rangers responded impressively to Fofana's goal. Lucas Perri, Lyon's goalkeeper, played with Cyriel Dessers lurking in front of him. Tom Lawrence continued his good recent form by slotting the ball home and restoring parity.

Next it was the Rangers' turn to wreak havoc. Connor Barron was, in some people's eyes, a surprising omission from Steve Clarke's latest Scotland squad. Barron showed his deficiencies in possession by giving the ball to Fofana. After a quick break and a clever inside move, Fofana rolled the ball to Alexandre Lacazette. The Lyon captain gave Jack Butland no chance.

Butland barely bothered to move as Lyon scored their third goal in first-half stoppage time. Rangers' loose play culminated in pooling the ball for a series of throw-ins. Lyon passed the ball forward to Lacazette, who cut inside from the left and fired the ball past the former England goalkeeper from 22 yards.

It was a stunning finish that sapped the energy from Ibrox. Lyon played with swagger. Lawrence was unable to return to action in the second half after citing a hamstring problem.

Fofana scored Lyon's fourth goal, with the outstanding Cherki taking the biggest credit. The 21-year-old's quick feet took Barron by surprise. Cherki crossed to the back post, where Fofana had passed Tavernier for the simplest task on goal.

Neraysho Kasanwirjo, replacing Tavernier, headed in from his own goal line while Corentin Tolisso tried to score the fifth goal. Duje Caleta-Car had hit the Rangers crossbar just seconds earlier. Lyon's removal of Fofana and Cherki was the best news of Clement's evening at the office. This duo will cause headaches for much stronger teams.

Lacazette hit wide. Lyon had started the season really well and really had no reason to increase their tally. It was the turn of another aristocrat of Scottish football and he endured a sobering European evening. They go back to their home comfort zone.